What the panel ordered
Petition for Reconsideration denied; WCJ's findings and awards upheld.
Defendant filed a timely Petition for Reconsideration after the WCJ issued Findings of Fact, Awards and Orders; the WCJ report was reviewed and adopted by the panel.
What was disputed, and how it came out
Each issue the panel decided, with the reasoning it gave. An outcome is what this panel did on this record — not a rule, and not a prediction.
The WCJ found that Dr. Noriega's expert medical opinion, based on examination, medical records, and diagnostic tests excluding a cardiac MRI, constitutes substantial medical evidence supporting the findings and awards.
From the decision · page 3Specifically, Petitioner contends that the Panel Qualified Medical Examiner's expert medical opinion does not constitute substantial medical evidence in the absence of a cardiac MRI.
The facts that decided it
What the panel treated as outcome-determinative, and which side it favoured.
Dr. Noriega's expert medical opinion that a cardiac MRI is not required to determine the applicant's level of Whole Person Impairment.